Microsoft reportedly cutting jobs after Nokia acquisition, as high as 10 percent

It’s been a few months since Microsoft completed the $7.2 billion acquisition of Nokia’s devices and services division. Along with the division, over 25,000 employees were also added to the roster. As with every acquisition, the layoffs are inevitable as companies don’t want redundancies in their departments, and Microsoft is also reportedly planning to reduce its workforce, as high as 10 percent of the total employees.

Before the acquisition, the Redmond-based company had 100,000 employees across the globe, and with the addition of Nokia, there were 25,000 more people added to the payroll. One source told GigaOM, “Look, [Microsoft CEO Steve] Ballmer buys Nokia and adds 25,000 people and a business that makes no money, so do the math.” In reality, this makes a lot of sense, Nokia was struggling to compete in the smartphone market dominated by Apple and Android. 

The cuts could come at the company’s annual sales meeting, which will kick off on July 22nd later this year, or it could come in August when the employee reviews are done by the company. Let’s wait as the annual sales meeting is just a few days away, and we’ll find out if this report is correct or not.